Gang Lords Walkthrough

Game Introduction – Gang Lords

Gang Lords is a free-to-play collectible card game created by Glu. It’s an interesting hybrid of card collecting and the sort of mission system that’s usually affiliated with other more puzzle and, oh say, dragon-like games. Gamezebo’s quick start strategy guide will provide you with detailed images, tips, information, and hints on how to play your best game.

Quick Start Guide

Getting Started

Don’t have Gang Lords downloaded yet? No problem! Just click on the “Play Now!” button at the top of this page. Don’t worry, I’ll wait.

After the usual Push Notification business you’ll be dropped into the tutorial that covers the basics (and the not-so-basics) of the combat system.

Once you’re done with that, you’re on your own to fight other gangs for territory and what have you. But don’t get too carried away as soon as the training wheels come off; you’ll probably also want to pick a custom name for yourself so that you can start recruiting other players and being recruited yourself in order to earn various bonuses.

Tap on the Social button on the bottom right of the screen to pull up the window for choosing a player name, pick something edgy yet tasteful (or don’t, it’s your gangster), then get back to fighting!

Interface and Menus

Time to get acquainted with the interface! I know, not particularly exciting but it’s worth knowing so bear with it.

Map – displays the world map. Each “blip” represents an area full of encounters to clear.

Fight – jumps to the current area map. Each “blip” represents a single fight. Two arrows in a circle means you’ve cleared it already and can replay it, while a gun indicates that you haven’t beaten it yet. Underneath either icon is a box that will tell you how much energy is required to attempt the encounter, as well as how many enemy waves it has.

Store – buy more premium currency; upgrade your account with more slots or a larger maximum friend limit; and view videos or sign up for special offers to earn free gold.

Social – manage your friends list, messages, and search for specific players to add as friends.

Other – mess around with audio options, toggle push notifications, view your token number (for sign-up bonuses), check the game credits, and view the in-game help.

Card Management

Managing your gang is a snap, but there are a few particulars that are worth noting.

You can tap any of the four cards on the Edit screen to swap them out for another.

When you Train a card, first you need to tap on the intended trainee, and then select the cards you’d like to use in order to improve it. Note that there’s a five card maximum for each training session.

Evolving is a slightly more complicated process that requires the card being evolved to be at its maximum level, as well as a number of special evolution-specific cards. And cash. The more rare and powerful the card, the more of everything it’s going to take to evolve it.

Sell the cards you don’t want by tapping on all of them to select them. You can see the total amount they’ll exchange for right above the Sell button.

When you want to View your collection, just tap on a card to check out its details. These include name, health, attack strength, cost (i.e. how much of your total allowed points for your Gang it will use when equipped), affiliation, level, class, counter (i.e. how many turns before it can attack), skills, and evolution level.

Combat

Fighting in Gang Lords is a turn-based affair, so you’ll have plenty of time to plan your strategy between turns. Good thing too, because it’s a bit more complex than it initially appears.

The first thing you have to do when starting a fight is to select an ally. A list of players’ leader cards will appear for you to pick from. Tap through them to check out their stats, then pick the one you think best compliments your team.

The left side of the screen displays your Gang – both each character’s card and their 3D model – and the right shows your opponent.

A circle next to your gangster’s character model will tell you how many turns before they can attack. 1, 2, 3, etc. A “!” means that they can attack right now.

Tap on your gangsters’ portraits/cards to select them, and then tap on an action. When attacking, tap Attack and then tap on your intended target. Once you’re done issuing orders, tap the Play Turn button at the bottom of the screen.

Don’t worry if you miss a Gangster’s turn; there’s a handy counter just below the Play Turn button that shows how many gangsters have orders, and icons for each issued order will pop up on each ordered gangster’s card on the left.

Even if it’s not their turn to attack, they can still perform actions such as Take Cover (reduce incoming damage), use a skill if it’s charged, or Support other cards (see below).

Supporting other cards has two effects. First, it boosts the effectiveness of the supported card’s action – for example, it will provide better defense when Taking Cover or higher damage when Attacking. Second, it will reduce the supported card’s turn counter by one. So by using supports wisely, you can completely change the order in which your gangsters act.

Damage received and given is largely dependant on a card’s affiliation. A handy diagram will always be viewable on the bottom of the screen as a reminder, but it breaks down like this: Red > Green > Blue > Red, and Yellow and Purple are both weak against each other.

When a gangster’s skill is charged, their card will begin to flash. Tap it to bring up the action menu, and then tap on Use Ability to activate it. A window will pop up explaining the skill’s effect and asking you to confirm its use. Note that using a skill will not count as a turn for that gangster, leaving you free to activate it and still take an action.

Tips and tricks

Max out one gangster at a time. It sounds a little silly, but the stats gained from a single level aren’t that great, and it can take quite a few cards to increase several levels and see larger increases. Plus once your card is maxed out you’ll be ready to go once you’ve acquired the proper evolution materials.

Some cards are best used as “feeders.” Regardless of how cards will improve with Training, the low-end gangsters (a maximum evolution level of two, indicated by crowns) are pretty much useless in a fight except as an extra target or support of more powerful cards. So don’t get attached.

Jump on special event fights whenever possible. They aren’t necessarily easy, but they yield some decent rewards along with some much-needed evolution items.

Exploit the ever-loving crap out of the Free Gold option in the Store. By which I mean watching the video. If you’ve got some downtime or are waiting for your energy to recharge, spam that button as much as you can. It only earns one gold per viewing, but you can watch it over and over again. Plus there’s a one-time offer for new players for an elite gangster starter pack (1 guaranteed elite card) for 20 gold. You could earn that easy within the first half hour or less so long as you don’t spend the initial 5 they give you for completing the tutorial.

The video viewing isn’t limitless, so don’t expect to sit there and rack up 1,000 gold like it’s nothing.

Pay attention to each gangster’s Counter. Recruiting super-powerful leader cards from other players might be tempting, but if they can only attack once every six turns it sort of defeats the purpose.

Congratulations!

You have completed Gamezebo’s quick start guide for Gang Lords. Be sure to check back often for game updates, staff and user reviews, user tips, forums comments and much more here at Gamezebo!